Primitive Fear
by Midnight Writer Shadrach
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki is totally alone in the world. Alone he suffers the hatred and fear from the villagers. But one faithful night in an abandoned forest in Konoha changed that.UP FOR ADOPTION!
1. Fear

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Fear. Fear was all Naruto Uzumaki, the ten-year-old resident of Konoha, revered, all the demon brat knew. Born and raised in it, living in it, basking in it. He and fear were old acquaintances, but that didn't mean they were friends. Naruto Uzumaki hated fear, or at least hated the fact that it affected him so much, more than anyone else.

No one else was on a constant lookout for someone trying to hurt him or her. No one else was afraid to step outside their own home for fear of someone being there waiting for them, or being seen by an enemy. While Naruto and fear were well acquainted, he and hate might as well have been related as much as they encountered each other.

Everywhere Naruto went, he encountered hate. He found it when he went to the grocery store and was overcharged for the simplest foods that were already expired or rotting. Hate was ever-present when he went to the clothing store and was either given clothes too small, too large, or clothes that made him stand out in the crowd, not a good thing in that he became an easier target for more hate and perhaps even fear as well. He'd encountered the same hatred when he'd revealed his ambition to become a ninja, and was only given the dullest of weapons and the lowest quality ninja gear. He figured that since everyone wanted him to fail from the beginning, then he ought not to try. Yes, he and hate were as close as could be.

But as most know, hate is a double-edged sword. As much as the villagers of Konoha hated Naruto Uzumaki, he hated them twice as much. Which was a lot of hate for one person, especially one so small. But he did; he hated them, and that was something that would never change. Or more correctly, Naruto would not allow it to change. Fear and hate were the most constant things in his life, and they motivated him.

Naruto Uzumaki ran through the forest of Konoha, chased by a group of vengeful villagers. Shouts of 'Kill the demon,' and 'don't let him get away', could be heard throughout the forest. Naruto himself was exhausted. He had scratches all over his face from the bushes he'd ran through, twigs and leaves were sticking out of his hair, and his clothes were caked in a heavy layer of mud, effectively slowing him down. He could almost smell the hate rolling off of the mob, but there was something else too. Fear.

If he wasn't running for his life, his heart beating frantically trying to pump blood to his lungs as he gasped terribly in an attempt to get fresh oxygen, he would have scoffed. What were the villagers afraid of? They weren't the ones being chased down in an abandoned forest on the outskirts of Konoha, about to be decapitated by crazed villagers!

"There he is! Get the demon!" Someone roared behind him.

Naruto's feet pounded on the earth as he ran as fast as he could. Sweat drenched his body as tears streamed down his face. He was so ashamed that he feared them but at the same time ashamed that he was afraid.

"I don't want to die!" he screamed as he ran, all the while sobbing and gasping for air.

Only the heavens could hear his desperate cries of fear and sorrow.

tltltltltltltltltltltl

Naruto wanted to groan in pain. He couldn't move a single part of his body. He could tell he was lying on the ground though. He was so stiff and his joints so swollen, he didn't think he could move his head. He heard someone approaching and pretended to have fallen unconscious. As they moved ever closer, he could hear voices.

"What were you thinking, Haru? Bringing a _human_ to our village!" an angry male voice bellowed.

The cold rage in the man's voice made Naruto want to shiver, but he restrained himself, keeping completely still. In his utter exhaustion, he couldn't move any part of his body anyway.

"W-well, it seemed like a good idea at the time," a younger male voice replied, fearful and pleading. "He was hurt, big brother! He'd been chased by a mob and would have been beaten to death. They called him things like demon, hell spawn, and monster! It was just so wrong... I couldn't let them hurt him! Please understand, big brother!"

Naruto felt his heart swell with gratitude at those words. This person had saved him and seemed to care about his well-being… a first. But his elation was quickly snuffed out as the first voice spoke again.

"Naturally, my heart bleeds butter milk, but what you did is still unacceptable. Your purposeful indiscretion of our hidden location could seriously compromise us in the future," the man explained, rage in his tone of voice. "Do you not realize what a disservice you've done to our clan, Haru?!"

"Oh, relax, Kyuichi," a calm, nonchalant male voice answered. "It's not as if the boy actually knows where he is. He was unconscious the whole journey here. Also I'd like to take this time to remind you that Haru had help in rescuing the boy, so stop picking on him."

"Fine, Kisho. We'll do things _your_ way…." Kyuichi growled, "but if anything—and I mean anything—goes wrong, you'll suffer the consequences." He stormed away without saying another word.

"You can stop pretending now… he's gone," Haru whispered to the still figure of Naruto.

"Yes, he's gone… for now, at least," Kisho replied in a relaxed tone. "He'll be back, I'm sure. He's way too intense, isn't he? I tell him all the time that he needs a girlfriend."

Naruto opened his eyes but couldn't move his neck, being much too stiff. However, he forgot about his earlier misfortune as he took in the curious sight before him.


	2. Safety

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Opening his eyes once again, Naruto forgot all of his misfortune at the curious sight that me his eyes. He could now tell that he was in a cave. It was dark but nonetheless comfortable, and slightly warm. Sniffing the air he could smell the aroma of roasting fish. When he raised his head he could see a small fire in front of him and what looked like six freshly caught fish roasting over it. Beside the fire was a huge pile of berries, apples, tangerines, and pears. He couldn't help but drool a bit at the delicious looking food.

"Ah, I see you're finally awake. You had poor Haru about to have a nervous breakdown, wondering if you would ever wake up." Came a relaxed male voice.

Naruto snapped his head in the direction of the voice, and nearly stumbled back in shock. There was a huge fox standing next to him, and it was talking! He gasped in shock and scrambled away from the fox as best he could without upsetting his injuries. Watching the fox cautiously, Naruto took in its appearance. It had cream-colored fur, with a white tail, ear tips, stockings, and stomach. It's eyes were a shocking cerulean blue like his!

Finally recovering from his shock Naruto managed to ask, "Who are you?"

It must have been a stupid question because the fox gave a harsh bark of laughter. Or at least Naruto thought it was laughter. The fox could have been hacking up a fur ball for all he knew!

"I have many names, human. Kisho the Merciful, Kisho the Slayer, Kisho the Fire Weaver, but you young human may just call be Kisho!" The fox exclaimed grinning like an idiot. Exposing its sharp dagger like teeth.

Naruto giggle nervously, eyeing the fox's teeth warily. Wondering how long it would take someone to find his remains when sharp teeth like that were crushing his bones? Or worse, what if there was nothing left to find!

Sensing that he was making Naruto uncomfortable, the fox abruptly snapped his mouth closed, and sullenly moved to the other end of the cave to sulk.

A deep rumbling laughter made Naruto snap his head to his right. It was another fox! It was two times smaller than the other fox and had pure white fur with an ice blue tail, ear tips, stockings, and stomach. Its eyes were pure black though, and it was lounging on the cave floor. The fox may have been smaller than the ferocious looking Kisho, but was by no means any less scary looking. There was just something about it that screamed, _"I'm superior to you, and always will be."_

"Hey, calm down, kit! We're not going to hurt you! We saved your life from those despicable humans who _were_ going to hurt you!" The fox exclaimed with a furious snarl at the memory. "By the way, I'm Haru, nice to meet you."

Naruto was floored. These two foxes were talking to him! At first he'd just thought it was his imagination, or he'd somehow acquired a head injury on his way to the cave. He pinched himself, hoping this was all a dream that he would soon wake up from. When that didn't work he slapped himself, hard.

"Itai!" Naruto yelped, holding his stinging cheek. It wasn't a dream.

Hearing an impatient growl he looked up. The fox, Haru, was staring at him worriedly if not a bit impatient.

"Look kit, if you can refrain from harming yourself once again, I'll show you where you can take a bath." Haru suggested, frowning at his appearance.

Naruto blushed under the fox's scrutiny, taking the chance to look himself over. His clothes were caked with mud, and smelled of urine, vomit, and old blood. His hair was filthy, full of bugs, dirt, leaves, and twigs. Naruto frowned disapprovingly. This would not do. He certainly wasn't the cleanest person in the world, but he wasn't the nastiest either. He liked being clean just as much as the next person.

"Yes, I would like that bath," he told the fox shyly.

The fox merely nodded and trotted off at an even pace. Naruto had to struggle to get off the ground yet alone walk. He limped after the fox, wincing in pain. Haru led him into a hidden part of the cave, which contained a hot spring. The water was a clear, sparkling blue and steam rising from it.

"Strip down and take a bath. Clean yourself good, but don't take too long. I'll bring you some clothes." The fox said before stalking off.

Naruto peeled off his clothes eagerly, and jumped into the hot spring, making a huge splash! He sighed in pleasure. He'd never had the luxury of bathing in a hot spring before. After soaking himself for a minute he grabbed a bottle of soap and some conditioner from beside the hot spring, and went to work. He scrubbed his body clean and worked hard to remove all the dirt from his hair. By the time he was done with his bath the once crystal blue water was a murky brown. Grimacing in distaste he climbed out of the water.

Waiting on the cave floor for him was a black silk yukata. Naruto gasped. He hadn't even heard Haru come back. Slipping on the yukata he sighed in content. The material of the yukata was much better than anything he was use to. He then decided to make his way back to the front of the cave. Getting lost many times along the way, until he finally recognized the path he was led to the hot springs on.

When he made his entrance he noticed Haru and Kisho were eating the fish they had roasted, some of the berries, and one or two apples. There was still two fat fish roasting over the fire and the majority of the fruits and berries were still sitting on the ground.

"Is all of that for me?" Naruto asked the two foxes shyly.

"Yes, that's for you. Enjoy it, we know you must be hungry." Kish replied with a wide grin.

Naruto didn't need to be told twice. He practically inhaled the fruit and berries. Then he started on the two fish, taking time to savor the delicious taste. When he was done he sat back with a full belly. He'd never felt so content in his life. He was clean, well fed, and warm. Yawning, he watched the two foxes with wary eyes. He wanted so bad to go to sleep, but he didn't want to drop his guard.

"Don't worry, kit. We'll watch over you as you sleep." Kisho said gently.

Haru nodded his agreement. Naruto said nothing but succumbed to the darkness, feeling safe for the first time in his life. Never noticing the two warm furred bodies curling around him.


	3. Legend

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

The next morning Naruto awoke from his sleep. He yawned, stretching his limbs and finding his body wasn't nearly as sore as last night. He grinned foxily and tried to move, only to find that he was trapped between two bodies. On his right was a boy that looked about his age with pure white hair with a light blue tent to it. His skin was pale and seemed to glow with radiance. His hair blocked his face from view but Naruto could see two ice blue tipped fox ears peeking from under his hair. The boy was wearing an ice blue yukata and no shoes. Peeking out of a hole of his yukata was an ice blue tipped tail.

Naruto gulped and took deep breaths, trying to stay calm. Looking to his left he had to clamp his hands over his mouth to prevent a scream. There was another boy with blond hair like his except it was longer falling to his waist and a duller in color, almost white. His cheeks were whiskered just like his but his skin was pale unlike his own tanned complexion. He also had fox ears peeking out of his hair except they were white tipped. His yukata was a light green color and he was bare footed like Naruto and the other boy. His tail was sticking out of a hole too, and was white tipped just like his ears. Unlike the other boy he looked like he was ten or twelve.

Naruto counted to ten in his head, remembering to take deep calming breaths. This did not help him though when the blond haired boy's tail started to caress him though.

"Ah," he yelled, literally jumping six feet in the air.

"W-what's going on," asked the white haired boy sleepily.

"What's going on? What's going on? I'll tell you what's going on! I was just woken up from my pleasant dream about chasing rabbits! Kuso! I was just about to catch that damnable rabbit too!" The blond hair boy yelled sitting up.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at the comical expression on the blond boy's face. It was just too halarious not to laugh. The white haired snapped awake, all traces of sleep gone from his eyes.

"Who the hell are you two?!" Naruto screamed, remembering the situation at hand.

"What are you talking about, kit. I'm the same person I was last night. I'm Haru, remember?" The white haired boy said, taking care to talk really slow.

"I'm still Kisho, you know the Fire Weaver?" The blond haired boy said with a grin.

Naruto could feel his jaw drop. These two couldn't possibly be who they claimed to be. Kisho and Haru were kitsunes, and these two well they weren't completely human, but they definitely were not foxes. Seeing his skeptical look, the blond claiming to be Kisho snorted.

"Look, we have two forms, one kitsune and one human form. Not that it really concerns you but we're kitsune demons. Now, I know you must be hungry, do you want to go hunting with us?" Kisho asked, stretching his muscles.

"Y-you're demons?" Naruto stuttered backing away fearfully.

Haru rolled his ice blue eyes. "No need to get all scared, kit. If we had wanted to kill you, believe me we had plenty of opportunities. Now why don't you take a minute to thank Kami for small miracles, and go hunting with us? We have to get ready to make the journey to our village." He said walking out of the cave.

Kisho walked out after him. Their movements were fluid and graceful like the most skilled of predators. Their feet barely touched the ground making their movements deliberately hard to hear. Now this peeked Naruto's curiosity, and as we all know, with nine-year-olds curiosity overrides fear and reason.

"Why do you walk like that? Do your feet hurt or something? Is there something poking you in the ass? Or are you just funny walkers?" Naruto had to ask, tilting his head to the side inquisitively.

Kisho outright laughed at such ridiculous notions, a beautiful sound of pure joy, but Kisho glared.

"You mean to tell me you know nothing of hunting or stealth? Where the hell have you been, kit? And here I thought you came from the ninja village just beyond the way!" He exclaimed in pure surprise.

"I do. I come from Konoha I mean. It's just that they never taught me anything. They were always careful not to let the _demon-child _learn anything that could be used to save his life." Naruto growled bitterly, scuffing his feet around in the grass. He was embarrassed to have to tell his new friends that.

Unseen by Naruto, Kisho and Haru traded looks. Giving a long-suffering sigh, Haru nodded at Kisho and Kisho smiled.

"Okay, kit, me and Haru will teach you how to hunt. That way you won't be completely helpless if you ever get lost in a forest again." Kisho said with an excited grin. He'd always wanted to teach someone how to hunt.

"Yatta!" Naruto screamed jumping into the air.

Haru snapped his teeth angrily, forgetting that he was in his humanoid form.

"First rule of hunting and stealth, make as little noise as possible." He growled, slipping into task manager mode quite easily.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly but complied. They moved through the forest slowly. Occasionally they would have to pause and adjust Naruto's posture or make him shift his stance so that he didn't make as much noise.

"There are three hares up ahead. They're just rising this morning, slept in for some reason. This is good for us but bad for them. This will be your first test Naruto. All you have to do is do as we tell you and I guarantee that by the end of this morning you'll have caught your first prey." Haru said seriously.

Naruto felt like bouncing on the heel of his feet in excitement, but restrained himself. That would give away his location.

He squatted with his hands lying in front of him, bottom raised up in the air, and his legs tensed and ready to leap.

"Stop breathing so hard. Animals listen for things like that. It's the sign of an inexperienced hunter." Kisho whispered harshly.

Naruto said nothing but slowed his breathing a little. Haru passed him a silver pocketknife.

"That should do the trick. Just feel the earth under your _paws_, feel how it stay completely still. It doesn't shift nor does it flex. It stays completely still. That's how you need to be. Like this earth." Haru whispered into his ear, his voice husky with anticipation.

Naruto had to work hard to stop a shiver from racking through his body. He licked his dry lips and reminded himself to breathe softly.

"Concentrate now. Listen only for the sound of the prey you want. Block everything else out, you're only focused on the sounds of your prey, remember. You'll know when it's time to move if you're a natural hunter like Kisho."

Naruto nodded softly to show he understood. He concentrated on the sound of the hares talking in their soft language. He focused only on that, and soon the other sounds begin to fade into the background. He could feel his blood pulsing through his veins, his heart speeding up. Haru's words ran through his mind again. _'You'll know when it's time to move'_. With that thought Naruto pounced out of the bushes. He was on the hares before they even realized what had happened. The hares tried to run of course, but Naruto was faster. The thrill of the chase had his adrenaline racing, and he found himself leaping and springing from the ground instead of running.

When he caught up with the hares he pounced. In the thrill of the chase he forgot all about his pocketknife and clamped his teeth around one hares neck, and clamped his hands around the other two hares neck. He squeezed so hard that he broke the two hares in his hands neck, and broke the skin of the hare in his mouth, tasting blood.

He spit the one in his mouth out, and dropped the other two in his hands. They all fell to the ground limp, dead. Naruto looked up to see Kisho and Haru gawking at him. He waved shyly, and they ran over to him.

"Now that's the way a real kitsune hunts," Kisho yelled amazed.

Haru whistled his agreement, inspecting the hares that Naruto had killed. Naruto flushed with pride. This was the first time he'd seriously applied himself and gotten praise for it.

"Hey guys, grab a hare each! We have to skin them and then we can cook them!" Haru cried beckoning them over.

"Great job again, kit. I've never seen such a natural hunter before, except maybe myself. You'll go far in this world." Kisho said before running over to Haru.

Naruto let the warmth of being praised spread all over him. He could tell this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

"Hey Naruto, are you coming or what?" Haru yelled back as he and Kisho made their way up a hill.

"Coming," Naruto yelled back. No, he thought taking his previous thought back. This was the beginning of a legend.


	4. Family

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Author's Note: I want to take this time to thank everyone for his or her encouraging reviews. I really enjoy writing this story and hope that you all enjoy reading it. I apologize for the delay in updating but tomorrow (December 12) is my birthday, and I promised myself I'd update before it, if only because I'll be too busy tomorrow. So, here it is, Chapter 4 of Primitive Fear.**

"Where are we going, guys?" Naruto whined.

He'd been following Haru and Kisho around all day. Earlier, they had skinned the hairs that he'd caught, and roasted them on a fire. Then they'd taken a nap under the warm sun, amidst the sounds of nature. When they woke up, Kisho and Haru packed up their things, and they'd took to the road.

Haru and Kisho refused to tell him where they were going. He'd even tried to trick them into telling him where they were going, but they wouldn't budge on the subject. This time was no different. Neither of the two foxes looked back at him.

"Guys, I'm tired. Can't we take a break? Naruto pleaded. He really was tired, and his feet were sore from all the walking they'd done. He felt light headed and had swayed more than a few times on his feet. He was sweating profusely and felt like he was going to pass out any second. Basically, he was dead on his feet.

He felt someone lift him up by his yukata and sat him on his or her back. He opened his eyes and found himself looking straight into the eyes of Kisho, who along with Haru had transformed back into their fox forms earlier, claiming it was easier for long trips.

"Relax kit, we'll take care of you. Sorry for being so negligent to your needs, it's just that we're a little nervous about taking you where we're going." Kisho explained hesitantly.

"Why, is it dangerous?" Naruto asked sleepily, clinging to the golden fox's neck.

Kisho was quiet for a moment, most likely thinking over his answer.

"Yes, it's a very dangerous place, but only if you're not with the right people. Lucky for you, kit, you know two of the right people." Kisho lamented, half jokingly half serious.

"As long as you're sure it's safe," Naruto replied with a yawn, his eyes half lidded.

"Sleep now, kit," Kisho ordered, his eyes boring deep into Naruto's.

Naruto closed his eyes and drifted off into a dreamless sleep. Unseen by Naruto, Kisho nodded to Haru. Now that Naruto was out of the way they could speed up.

tltltltltltltltltltlltltltllttlltltltltltlltltl

Naruto woke up some time later, refreshed but hungry. He yawned and stretched, almost falling off Kisho's back before he remembered to hold on. " You okay, kit?" Kisho asked wearily. You almost fell off my back and you reek of fear."

" Close encounters with death will do that to you. Can you imagine how pathetic that would be? Death by falling off the back of a huge ass fox who doesn't leave me alone!" Naruto snapped, and immediately regretted it after seeing the genuine hurt on Kisho's face.

"I'm sorry, Kisho. I didn't mean to snap at you, but I'm not used to someone caring about my safety _all _the time. Forgive me?" Naruto asked hopefully.

Kisho nodded tersely and snapped his head back towards the road causing Naruto to sigh. It didn't look like he'd forgiven him at all.

"You never told me why Haru and you saved me from the villagers, you know?" Naruto asked attempting to start a conversation.

When Kisho didn't respond he continued. " I mean is it cause you don't like seeing children in pain, cause I can handle pain. I've known pain all my life from the villagers of my village, hell even some of the ninja. They've always hated me and called me things like 'demon spawn' or ' that damned demon brat', but I never understood why. But back when I killed those hares, I-I think I understood why they called me those things. I-It's who I am, it's what I am, and-" he never got to finish his sentence as Kisho turned to look at him sharply, and growled.

"Just because you can deal with pain doesn't mean you should have to Naruto! You're a child; you should be protected and cherished, not hated and shunned! As for your village, and what they did and said to you, I'll just say point blank that they're idiots. Okay, maybe you_ do_ smell of kitsune, but I can attest that you're certainly _not_ a demon! And finally, the hares. You're just a natural hunter with primal instincts that are closer to the surface than others, nothing more, nothing less.

Naruto gawked at the angry fox. Never had he imagined that the fox would defend him so heatedly, especially against Naruto himself.

" We're family, Naruto, and that means we watch out for each other," Kisho said nuzzling Naruto's neck with his muzzle.

"You promise," Naruto asked his voice sounding hallow and broken to his own ears.

" No, I swear on my life. I'll never leave you alone again." The fox swore, and began walking again. N

Naruto reminded silent, contemplating the fox's words. _'I've never had a family before, _he thought wistfully. _'But maybe, just maybe, I could be tempted to try and make this work.'_ With that thought he focused on the journey ahead for whatever he may face, he was confident his family would be there beside him.


	5. Chapter 5

Okay so right now I'm contemplating on either rewriting my stories or giving them up to someone else who would like to complete it. If you're interested send me a message. The only requirement I that you have at least one story of your own written that I can read before I turn my story over to you. Let me know if you're interested.

-Midnight Writer Shadrach


	6. Journey

AN: I gave decided to continue with this story since I actually do like the direction that it's heading in. I make no promises though. I don't really know where I want the story to go and there most definitely won't be any regular updates...but I can't bring myself to give it up. So please enjoy Chapter 4 of Primitive Fear.

**Haru**

I was nervous about taking Naruto to our village. Not just because it was a demon village but because it was a demon village filled with huge ass foxes bigger and more powerful than Haru and Kisho. I meant what I told Naruto. We would take care of him and look out for him but we couldn't do that if we met up with more powerful enemies. I tensed worriedly and shifted the sleeping Naruto closer to my body. The closer we got to the village the more worried I became. As if sensing my worry Kisho nuzzled my neck comfortingly.

"He will be fine...we will be fine," he growled reassuringly.

I gave a weak fox grin in response.

"I apologize for upsetting you brother but I am worried," I said sighing. "I would feel more reassured if Kyuichi was on our side though."

Kyuichi was our eldest brother and the toughest out of us brothers. He had basically taken over as the family head after our father had died protecting the village from snake demons. Our mother had been killed by the snake demons in the same attack shortly after giving birth to me. Though Kisho never blamed me for the death of our mother I have always felt that Kyuichi never forgave me. Do not get me wrong, he is an excellent big brother and looks out for us like no other but still...there was always those lingering looks of an emotion I could not distinguish when Kyuichi looked at him. Whatever emotion it was it disturbed me more than anything else.

" Brother," Kisho growled gruffly startling me out of my thoughts. "You must understand that Kyuichi is the oldest so he feels a great responsibility for us. He puts family before everything else and if we show him that Naruto is important to us then he will support us."

"But you've known him so much longer than me...he trust your judgment more...can't you talk to him?" I whined nipping at Kisho's ear childishly.

" Need I remind you that it was your idea to save Naruto in the first place," Kisho barked playfully skillfully eluding his brother's razor sharp teeth.

" Fine," I pouted, "but expect him to listen to me."

"I trust you brother, and once Kyuichi sees how serious you are about Naruto he will trust you too." Kisho replied licking his younger brother's cheek comfortingly.

After hearing that my brother believed in me I felt more confident about the journey ahead whatsoever it may hold.

**Kisho**

Haru was right to be apprehensive about taking Naruto to the village. Despite the reassurance I gave my little brother I was worried as well. I had no desire to stick my neck out only for it to be chopped off by Kyuichi even if was for Naruto. The truth is if I hadn't smelled something remarkable something I never thought I would smell in my life, I probably wouldn't have helped Naruto. Don't get me wrong I hate violence against children just as much as the next person but just because I am a goofy prankster doesn't mean I am a fool. Every since Lord Kyuubi disappeared in Fire Country ten years ago, contact with humans especially with Fire Country humans had been strictly forbidden. If it wasn't for Haru's bleeding heart and Naruto's unique smell of kitsune that reminded me of family back home I would have never interfered.

I care deeply for my little brother. Every since our parent's were killed I have been the one taking care of him not Kyuichi. I could never resent Kyuichi though. He too has a lot of responsibility and weight on his shoulders. Though I love Kyuichi as family should I have to admit tat he can be a bit...brutal or as Haru would say ruthless when dealing with things he perceived as a threat. As second born it was not my place to interfere with the decision making process but I hope just this once Kyuichi won't judge so hastily. I licked Naruto's cheek and he shifted on Haru's back as they continued their journey. '_Good luck kit, you're going to need it.'_ I thought before barking at Haru to pick up the pace. It was time to stop stalling and get back to the safety of the village.

**Naruto**

It was dawn and was forced to awaken again. I rubbed the crust out of my eyes sleepily and yawned, almost slipping off of Haru's back before he remembered to grip the soft fur.

"Ah good morning guys how much longer to we reach the village?" I asked rubbing the back of my head sheepishly embarrassed about my almost fall.

"Good morning Naruto you have a nice nap?" Haru asked cheerfully.

"Ah yeah it was actually one of the more comfortable places I have slept," I said darkly my eyes becoming distant and cold.

"Well here eat this, we couldn't stop for too long to cook the actual food but if you can hunt like a Kitsune then you should be able to eat like one as well," Kisho challenged dropping three oddly colored and shaped fruits in his lap along with a blood covered pinkish organ looking thingy.

I looked at he organ thingy skeptically poking at it with nervous fingers. "What is this?" I asked disgustedly.

"Well that fruit is flame fruit, it only grows on the border of Demon Country and Hell Country. It's very delicious and is said to give the eater a sudden boost of courage and energy." Kisho said cheerfully.

"Not that, this you idiot!" I yelled slapping Kisho in the face with the pinkish organ.

Kisho barked in laughter and snapped the organ up in his mouth. I pulled my fingers away quickly barely avoiding getting them chopped off.

" That my friend was deer liver, very god for you and very delicious," the fox said licking his chops letting his tongue hang out of his mouth like a dog.

Scrunching my face up in disgust I took a bite of the Flame Fruit. It was a deep orangeish-red in color and tasted like strawberry or was that peach? Whatever It was I loved the flavor I munched happily on the fruit.

" Naruto I don't want you to be afraid but we are now in Hell Country the place where our village is located. I am not going to lie to you, things are going to be tough but I think we can do it together." Haru said suddenly.

I paused in my eating looking at the foxes that I come to call my family. I felt a warmth spread over my body at the determination in their eyes. If they were willing to fight for me then I was willing to fight for them.

"I am ready," I said determinedly. No other words were spoken between the three of us until we reached the village.


End file.
